Initiative Partners

We seek to build a coalition of public and private healthcare organizations with expertise in product use, risk management, standard setting, and many other areas of quality care and safety. Together, we can develop and implement effective risk reduction strategies for preventing surgical fires. We welcome other organizations who want to join in the Preventing Surgical Fires Initiative.To find out more about the “Preventing Surgical Fires” initiative or to get involved, contact Preventing Surgical Fires.

American Academy of Orthopaedic SurgeonsFounded in 1933, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is the preeminent provider of musculoskeletal education to orthopaedic surgeons and others in the world. Its continuing medical education activities include a world-renowned Annual Meeting, multiple CME courses held around the country and at the Orthopaedic Learning Center, and various medical and scientific publications and electronic media materials.

American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery“The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents approximately 12,000 physicians in the United States who diagnose and treat disorders of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. The medical ailments treated by this specialty are the most common that afflict all Americans, old and young, including hearing loss, balance disorders, chronic ear infection, rhinological disorders, snoring and sleep disorders, swallowing disorders, facial and cranial nerve disorders, and head and neck cancer. AAO-HNS empowers otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons to deliver the best patient care. We help our members achieve excellence and provide the best ear, nose, and throat care through professional and public education, research, and health policy advocacy.”

American Academy of Physician AssistantsFounded in 1968, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is the national professional society for physician assistants (PAs). It represents a profession of more than 81,000 certified PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the majority of the U.S. territories and within the uniformed services. AAPA advocates and educates on behalf of the profession and the patients PAs serve. AAPA works to ensure the professional growth, personal excellence and recognition of physician assistants. It also works to enhance their ability to improve the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of patient-centered health care.

American Association of Nurse AnesthetistsFounded in 1931, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional association representing more than 44,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists nationwide. The AANA promulgates education and practice standards and guidelines, and affords consultation to both private and governmental entities regarding nurse anesthetists and their practice. According to the AANA Standards for Nurse Anesthesia Practice (PDF-84KB) , every CRNA must take steps to minimize the risk of operating room fires.

American Association of Surgical Physician AssistantsThe American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants (AASPA) is a not-for-profit surgical specialty organization supporting and representing surgical physician assistants (PAs) in all operative settings and specialties in the United States. AASPA was founded by surgical PAs in 1970, and remains a resource for members who seek to better their careers, improve their profession, and provide exceptional patient care. In addition to serving surgical PA professionals, AASPA stresses patient safety through communication and cooperation among the surgical team members.

American College of SurgeonsThe American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. Members of the American College of Surgeons are referred to as "Fellows." The College currently has approximately 78,000 members, including more than 4,000 Fellows in other countries, making it the largest organization of surgeons in the world. There are presently more than 2,600 Associate Fellows.

American Society for Healthcare Risk ManagementFounded in 1980, the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) is a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association (AHA). With more than 5,700 members, ASHRM promotes effective risk management and patient safety strategies through education, advocacy, publications and networking. For more information: www.ashrm.org

American Society of AnesthesiologistsFounded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific association with 46,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of the patient.ASA assembled a task force to study operating room fires and make recommendations on what to do both to prevent fires in the operating room and prepare for those very rare cases when they occur. ASA continues to share our recommendations with health care providers and to educate patients about this issue.

American Society of PeriAnesthesia NursesThe American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN) is the professional specialty nursing organization representing the interests of more than 55,000 nurses participating in all phases of preanesthesia and postanesthesia care, ambulatory surgery, and pain management. In relation to the safety initiative related to the prevention of surgical fires, ASPAN strives to be an influential advocate for perianesthesia safety, public policy, nursing practice and standards.

Anesthesia Patient Safety FoundationThe Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) is urging reassessment of the routine use of supplemental oxygen for surgical procedures that introduce an increased risk of fire. The APSF Fire Safety Video produced in cooperation with ECRI Institute describes steps to take for decreasing the risk of operating room fires, including the management of the patient's airway when supplemental oxygen is deemed medically necessary. The APSF Fire Safety Video may be viewed on the APSF websit and a complimentary DVD is available on request. The APSF Fire Safety Video may also be downloaded for subsequent off-line presentation and review.

Association of periOperative Registered NursesThe Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) consisting of 40,000 plus members, provides tools and resources to manage fire safety practices in the surgical suite. In addition to The Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices, AORN also produces a Mini Fire Safety Tool Kit , portions of which are available for non-members.

Association of Surgical TechnologistsEstablished in 1969, the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) mission is to enhance the profession to ensure quality patient care. Surgical fire hazards and precautions are identified in the AST Core Curriculum, 6th edition, and are considered an important educational focus for all surgical technology education programs. AST has also developed substantive surgical fire safety information for their Recommended Standards of Practice for Laser Safety; Gowning and Gloving; Surgical Scrub, Skin Prep of the Surgical Patient and is working on related information in a soon-to-be-published Recommended Standards of Practice for Electrosurgery.

Christiana Care Health System Christiana Care Health System, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, is one of the leading health care providers in the United States, ranking 17th in the nation for hospital admissions. Christiana Care is a major teaching hospital with two campuses and more than 240 Medical-Dental residents and fellows. Christiana Care is recognized as a regional center for excellence in cardiology, cancer, and women's health services. The system is home to Delaware's only Level I trauma center, the only center of its kind between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Christiana Care also features a Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit, the only delivering hospital in the state to offer this level of care for newborns.

Christiana Care Health System has been at the forefront of identifying the issue of surgical fires and implementing measures to prevent fires in the operating room. Standardized fire safety protocols, the development and implementation of novel technologies and comprehensive team training have been instrumental in creating an environment of open communication and safety awareness within the operating room. By integrating fire safety assessments as standard protocol within Christiana Care, we have eliminated the occurrence of surgical fires. Just as importantly, we have created a learning culture in our clinical practice where medical safety issues can be identified and openly addressed.

Council on Surgical and Perioperative SafetyThe Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety (CSPS) is an incorporated multidisciplinary coalition of professional organizations whose members are involved in the care of surgical patients. CSPS promotes excellence in patient safety in the surgical and perioperative environment. As part of its mission, CSPS has developed a number of Safe Surgery Principles including one on fire safety and one on smoke evacuation.Member organizations: AANA, AASPA, ACS, ASA, ASPAN, AORN, AST.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical CenterAs part of our Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center global safety initiative in perioperative services, all OR personnel will be required to view the video on our modified timeout process on a quarterly basis. As seen on the video, each participant states his or her role prior to starting the case. At the end of the timeout process, we discuss the steps each OR team member would take to prevent a fire and steps the team members would take in the event of a fire. The modifications do not add significant time to the conventional timeout process and could be universally adopted. ECRI InstituteECRI Institute is an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care. Over the past 35 years we have investigated hundreds of serious or fatal surgical fire accidents in hospitals and outpatient settings and provided the healthcare community with guidance on their prevention and extinguishment. The Institute’s publications and its collaborative work with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the Joint Commission have resulted in the new clinical recommendations to acute care healthcare organizations, surgical centers, and physician offices for prevention of this hazard. ECRI Institute’s surgical fire prevention resources include free educational posters on surgical fire prevention and extinguishment in addition to other materials.

Fairview Health ServicesBased in Minneapolis, Fairview Health Services is a non-profit health care system providing exceptional clinical care—from prevention of illness and injury to care for the most complex medical conditions. In partnership with the University of Minnesota, Fairview is an academic health system striving to enhance the clinical enterprise, achieve nation-leading research and academic prominence. Fairview’s continuum includes 40-plus primary care clinics, a wide range of specialty services, home care and senior services. Fairview owns six hospitals, including the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

Medical Product Safety NetworkThe Medical Product Safety Network (MedSun) is an internet-based adverse event reporting program launched in 2002 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). MedSun improves FDA’s understanding of problems with the use of medical devices so that the FDA, healthcare facilities, clinicians and manufacturers can better address safety concerns. The primary goal for MedSun is to work collaboratively with the clinical community to identify, understand, and solve problems with the use of medical devices. MedSun is committed to surgical fire prevention.

National Fire Protection AssociationThe mission of the international, nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards , training , and research . NFPA's 300 codes and standards influence every building, process, service, design, and installation in the U.S. and many other countries. The codes most related to healthcare facilities are 99 and 101 and are available through free access.

Pennsylvania Patient Safety AuthorityThe Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority receives, analyzes, and disseminates information from mandatory reports of all safety incidents and serious events involving patients in Pennsylvania's licensed acute healthcare facilities. Since July of 2004, the Authority has received over 200,000 reports per year. Information is disseminated in the quarterly, peer-reviewed Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory. The Authority has a particular interest in the analyzing reports of fires and burns in the operating room and understanding all the steps involved in preventing them.

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic SurgeonsThe Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) is the largest general surgery specialty society in the United States and is devoted to education, training, and research. SAGES has developed an educational program entitled, the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE), in collaboration with gynecologic (AAGL), urologic (AUA), anesthesia (ASA), and nursing colleagues (AORN). FUSE covers a wide variety of topics in the use of surgical energy and has a specific focus in the prevention and management of fires in the operating room. This interactive, web-based program is a multimedia-enhanced didactic curriculum , with optional CME and CEU certificates and a high-stakes, multiple choice cognitive exam (FUSE certifying exam). The program was designed to certify that a successful candidate has demonstrated the knowledge fundamental to the safe use of surgical energy-based devices in the operating room, endoscopic suite, and other procedural areas.

SurgicalFire.orgFounded by Cathy Reuter Lake, whose mother was critically burned in a surgical fire, surgicalfire.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of surgical and operating room fires through education and collaboration.

The Joint CommissionFounded in 1951, The Joint Commission (TJC) seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,300 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,500 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also provides certification of more than 2,000 disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

ULUL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress and safety for 120 years. UL's more than 10,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. ULS uses research, standards, and conformity assessment to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with business, manufacturers, trade associations, and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to increasingly complex global supply chains. For information on UL's fires safety efforts visit UL's fire safety page.

Veteran Affairs’ National Center for Patient SafetyThe US Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) was established in 1999 to develop and nurture a culture of safety throughout the Veterans Health Administration. Our goal is the nationwide reduction and prevention of inadvertent harm to patients as a result of their care. Patient safety managers at 153 VA hospitals and patient safety officers at 21 VA regional headquarters participate in the program.